A Muslim Convert Once More

This is a record of my journey as a Muslim. I used to be Catholic and belonged to a missionary organisation. After my conversion, I sat on the board of a Muslim converts' organisation and specialised in da'wah programmes, convert management, interfaith issues and apostasy cases. I am an initiate of a Sufi order. As such, the articles and writings tend to cover these areas.
All the Arabic and graphics could not have been done without the help of my wife, Zafirah.

Thursday, 14 December 2017

How did innovation automatically
become a bad thing in Islam? It arises
from a misunderstanding of the nature of bid’ah. There is a muttafaq ‘alayh narration,
from ash-Shaykhayn, where the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Beware of
matters newly begun, for every matter newly begun is an innovation, and every
innovation is misguidance.” The scholars
of Islam are in almost unanimous agreement that this hadits cannot
possibly refer literally to all new things without restriction, but only to
those things which have no basis in the shari’ah.

There is a process that scholars
use to derive rulings from an-nuswusw, the primary sources of shari’ah,
and categorise innovations into one of the five classifications of action: mandatory,
recommend, neutral, disliked, and forbidden. A hadits cannot be taken literally,
without consideration of the context and prophetic intent. We do not consider every new thing as some
sort of misguiding innovation. It is the
sunnah to accept new acts initiated in Islam that are good and do not
conflict with the established principles of shari’ah. This involved careful consideration. No real scholar would reject something
outright on the flimsy excuse that such a thing was not performed or existed in
the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and the swahabah. The shari’ah is flexible, and fiqh
is based on deep understanding.

Coming back to the hadits
on innovation, the primary misunderstanding is the word “kull”, “every”;
in the phrase, “every innovation is misguidance”. Too many people, particularly the literalist
Wahhabi sect, take this as an absolute generalisation. This cannot be so. Imam an-Nawawi (r.a.), in his Sharh
Swahih Muslim, wrote, “This generality concerns a specific division, for
the intended meaning is the majority of innovation, for not all innovation is
blameworthy.” The basis of this
statement is found in the Qur’an and sunnah.

Here, the phrase “the
(false) gods that ye worship” is an absolute statement when
taken according to its literal sense in Arabic. However, this apparently absolute statement is
qualified by numerous restrictions; many people worship Jesus (a.s.),
his mother, and the angels, apart from Allah (s.w.t.), yet none of them
are “fuel for
Hell”

But when they forget the Warning they had received, We
Opened to them the gates of all (good) things, until, in the midst of their
enjoyment of Our gifts, on a sudden, We Called them to Account, when lo! they
were plunged in despair! (Surah al-An’am:44)

Here, there is “kulli
shay’in”, “all (good) things”. However, it
is also a qualified statement, not an absolute one, since the “abwab”,
“gates” of Guidance, were not Opened to them.
If they were, there would be no need to call them to account.

“Everything will it destroy, by the Command of its
Lord!” Then by the morning, they find
nothing was to be seen but (the ruins of) their houses! Thus, do We Recompense those given to sin!
(Surah al-Ahqaf:25)

Here, there is “kulli
shay’in”, referring to the wind Sent to destroy “everything”. But everything does not refer to the
buildings that were left as monuments to Divine Wrath, or the mountains and
surrounding hills and valleys.

It is recorded, in Swahih
Muslim, that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “No one who prays before sunrise
and sunset will enter Hell.” Again, this
is not to be taken as an absolute statement, since a person who only prays fajr
and maghrib is still found wanting in fulfilling his duties. Or, a person who prays but his intent is
astray, or who commits major sins is still accountable for them and not
guaranteed Salvation. In the same vein,
the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) statement, “every innovation is misguidance”, is
not a literal absolute blanket prohibition against all innovation.

It is also recorded that the
Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “He who introduces a good practice, in Islam,
earns the Reward of it, and of all who performs it after him without
diminishing their own Reward, in the least; and he who introduces a bad
practice, in Islam, earns the punishment of it, and of all who perform it,
after him without diminishing their own punishment in the least.” This is recorded in Imam Muslims’ (r.a.)
Swahih, Imam at-Tirmidzi’s (r.a.) Jami’, Imam an-Nasa’i’s
(r.a.) Sunan al-Kubra’, Imam Ahmad’s (r.a.) Musnad,
Imam ibn Majah’s (r.a.) Sunan, Imam al-Bazzar’s (r.a.) Sunan,
and many others; from Jarir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Bajali (r.a.), Abu Hurayrah
(r.a.), Abu Juhayfah (r.a.), Hudzayfah ibn al-Yaman (r.a.),
‘Aishah (r.a.), and other companions; making it mutawatir.

This hadits is a clear
statement that some innovations are good, particularly those that are in
conformance with the shari’ah; and some innovations are bad. In another hadits, the Prophet (s.a.w.)
defined a bad innovation as “an innovation of misguidance which Displeases
Allah and His Messenger.” This is
recorded by Imam at-Tirmidzi (r.a.), and Imam ibn Majah (r.a.). This is also found in the Qur’an:

Then, in their wake, We Followed them up with (others
of) Our Messengers: We Sent after them Jesus, the son of Mary, and Bestowed on
him the Gospel; and We Ordained, in the hearts of those who followed him,
compassion and mercy. But the
monasticism, which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them:
(We Commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah; but that, they
did not foster as they should have done.
Yet We Bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) Reward,
but many of them are rebellious transgressors. (Surah al-Hadid:27)

Allah (s.w.t.) does not
say that monasticism is necessarily bad since He Says, “We
Bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) Reward,” meaning that
the sincere zahidun amongst them were Rewarded.

Similarly, the Prophet (s.a.w.)
also said, “You must follow my sunnah, and the sunnah of the
rightly-guided successors after me”; the “and” referring to matters that the
companions would introduce that did not explicitly come from him, otherwise, he
would have simply referred to those acts as “my sunnah”.

It is recorded, in
Imam al-Bukhari’s (r.a.) Swahih, and Imam Malik’s (r.a.) al-Muwaththa’,
that ‘Umar (r.a.) gathered the community of Madina together to perform
twenty raka’at of swalah at-tarawih, as a jama’ah, behind
one imam, Ubay ibn Ka’b al-Answari (r.a.). He famously exclaimed, “Ni’ma al-bid’atu hadzihi”,
“What an excellent innovation, this is”.
We must also remember that he increased the number of raka’at
from eight to twenty. Imam at-Tirmidzi (r.a.)
recorded that the community of Madina actually performed 41 raka’at of swalah
at-tarawih, including the witr.
This is something that neither the Prophet (s.a.w.), nor the four Khulafah
ar-Rashidin did.

In his commentary on
the hadits, “every innovation is misguidance”, Imam ibn Hajr
al-‘Asqalani (r.a.) wrote, in his Fath al-Bari, “The root lexical
meaning of ‘innovation’ is what is produced without precedent. It is applied, in the shari’ah, in
opposition to the sunnah, and is, therefore, blameworthy. In reality, if it is part of what is generally
classifiable as commendable by the shari’ah, then it is a good
innovation; while if it is part of what is classified as blameworthy by the shari’ah,
then it is blameworthy; otherwise it falls in the category of what is permitted
indifferently. It can be divided into
the known five categories.”

For example, when ibn
‘Umar (r.a.) was asked about swalah adh-dhuha’ being prayed
regularly, in congregation, he said, “It is an innovation, and how fine an
innovation it is!” In another narration,
he said, “The people have invented nothing more beloved to me than it.” This is
recorded by Imam ibn Abi Shaybah (r.a.), in his Muswannaf, Imam ‘Abd
ar-Razzaq (r.a.), in his Muswannaf; and by Imam ath-Thabarani (r.a.),
in both his Mu’jam al-Kabir, and Mu’jam al-Awsath. Imam ibn Hajr (r.a.) stated, in his Fath
al-Bari, that these narrations are swahih. Imam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) himself used these
narrations as an example of praiseworthy innovation.

Imam al-Bukhari (r.a.)
himself wrote that ibn ‘Umar (r.a.) was asked whether he, his father,
Abu Bakr (r.a.), or the Prophet (s.a.w.) performed swalah
adh-dhuha’. ibn ‘Umar (r.a.)
said none of them did, in the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.). He also said that ‘Aishah (r.a.) said,
“I never saw the Prophet (s.a.w.) pray swalah adh-dhuha’, but I
always pray it.” Aside from Imam
al-Bukhari (r.a.), this was also recorded by Imam Muslim (r.a.),
Imam Malik (r.a.), Imam Ahmad (r.a.), Imam Abu Dawud (r.a.),
Imam ad-Darimi (r.a.), Imam ‘Abd ar-Razzaq (r.a.), Imam al-Bayhaqi
(r.a.), and Imam ath-Thayalisi (r.a.). Similar statements were related from Abu Bakr
(r.a.), as recorded in Ima ath-Thabarani’s (r.a.) Awsath.

However, we must
understand that this does not mean that swalah adh-dhuha’ was something
the companions made up. What these two
narrations mean is that they did not see the Prophet (s.a.w.) perform swalah
adh-dhuha’ in the mosque on a regular basis, in congregation, so that it
would not become an obligation. There
are dozens of other narrations which state that he used to pray swalah
adh-dhuha’, related on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (r.a.), Abu Sa’id
al-Khudri (r.a.), ‘Umar (r.a.), ibn Mas’ud (r.a.),
al-Hasan (r.a.), Abu Umamah (r.a.), Zayd ibn Arqam (r.a.),
Anas ibn Malik (r.a.), Abu Dzar (r.a.), Abu Darda’ (r.a.),
and others, in addition to ‘Aishah (r.a.) herself. Imam ibn Hibban (r.a.) recorded, in
his Swahih, that ‘Aishah (r.a.) said, regarding swalah
adh-dhuha’, “The Prophet (s.a.w.) used to leave a lot of actions,
even if he loved to do them, out of fear that the people might take them to be
obligatory.”

Another meritorious
act of bid’ah was the compilation of the Qur’an into one muswhaf,
when many of the huffazh died in battle. ‘Umar (r.a.) approached the caliph, Abu
Bakr (r.a.), and suggested it. Abu
Bakr (r.a.) replied, holding on to the beard of ‘Umar (r.a.), “How
could I do something the Prophet (s.a.w.) never did or asked to do?” But after deliberation, they agreed it was
the wise thing to do. Abu Bakr (r.a.)
later said that he felt his chest expanding, and him feeling calm, after this
decision. It was the right thing to
do. This story is recorded in Imam al-Bukhari’s
(r.a.) Swahih, Imam at-Tirmidzi’s (r.a.) Jami’,
Imam Ahmad’s (r.a.) Musnad, Imam al-Bayhaqi’s (r.a.) Sunan,
Imam ath-Thabarani’s (r.a.) Mu’jam al-Kabir, and elsewhere.

It was also recorded
by Imam al-Bukhari (r.a.), Imam Muslim (r.a.), Imam ibn Khuzaymah
(r.a.), Imam at-Tirmidzi (r.a.), and Imam Ahmad (r.a.) that
Bilal (r.a.) used his initiative to pray two raka’at of swalah
tahiyyat al-wudhu’. At the time of
the fajr prayer, the Prophet (s.a.w.) asked Bilal (r.a.), “Tell me of the best deed you did
after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps before me in Paradise.”

Bilal (r.a.)
replied, “I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I
performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as
much as was written for me.” Imam ibn
Hajr (r.a.) said that this is proof of the validity of inferring and
introducing specific times and occasions for acts of worship, because Bilal (r.a.)
arrived at this through his own ijtihad. In another example, Khubayb ibn ‘Adi (r.a.)
performed two raka’at before his execution by the Quraysh, after
Badr. This is mentioned in Imam al-Bukhari’s
(r.a.) Swahih, and Imam Ahmad’s Musnad, amongst others.

It is recorded in ash-Shaykhayn and elsewhere, on the
authority of Rifa’ah ibn Rafi’ az-Zuraqi (r.a.), that a man was praying
behind the Prophet (s.a.w.), and when they stood up from ruku’, that
man exclaimed, “Rabbana wa laka al-hamdu hamdan katsiran thayyiban mubarakan
fihi”, “Our Rabb, all praises are for You, many good and blessed praises.”

When the Prophet (s.a.w.)
finished praying, he asked, “Who said those words?” The man identified himself, and the Prophet (s.a.w.)
said, “I saw over thirty angels competing to write it first.” And this is also an innovation.

And then there is an
incident, which was recorded, in Swahih al-Bukhari, and elsewhere, through
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (r.a.). A
group of companions were on a journey when they were asked to treat a person
stung by a scorpion. One of them recited
Surah al-Fatihah over the wound and spat on it.
The man was instantly cured. When
they returned and told this to the Prophet (s.a.w.), he said, “How did
you know it was of the words which heal?”
This clearly shows that they derived this from their own initiative,
when they used verses of the Qur’an for ruqyah.

It is also recorded,
by Imam al-Bukhari (r.a.), Imam at-Tirmidzi (r.a.), Imam an-Nasa’i
(r.a.), Imam Abu Dawud (r.a.), Imam Ahmad (r.a.), Imam ibn
Khuzaymah (r.a.), and others; that ‘Utsman ibn ‘Affan (r.a.)
introduced the calling of the adzan at the beginning of the time of dzuhr,
during Friday prayers. This is something
that did not happen previously. ‘Utsman
(r.a.) recognised that there was a need to call the people to gather,
and allow them time to take their wudhu’ before calling the actual adzan
for the commencement of swalah al-juma’ah.

Imam an-Nawawi (r.a.),
in his Sharh Swahih Muslim, wrote that when a companion of the Prophet (s.a.w.)
introduced an innovation, such as all of the examples above, they are
considered to be from the fundamentals of shari’ah, and the sunnah,
and when they become widely acted upon or accepted, they are part of the
established ijma’. Any act that
the swahabah unanimously accepted becomes a binding ijma’, and
there is no question as to its authenticity.

Imam ibn Hajr (r.a.)
wrote, in Fath al-Bari, that ‘Aishah (r.a.) said that the maqam
of Ibrahim (a.s.) used to be attached to the Ka’bah during the lifetime
of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and Abu Bakr (r.a.). Then ‘Umar (r.a.) created a separate
structure during his caliphate. Imam ibn
Hajr (r.a.) said, “None of the swahabah disagreed with ‘Umar in
what he did, nor did those after them, and so it became a silent consensus ...”

Imam al-Bazzar (r.a.)
and others recorded, that ‘Ali ibn Abi Thalib (k.w.) introduced a second
‘Iyd prayer in the mosque. In the
time of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and the caliphs before him, there was only
one ‘Iyd prayer for each ‘Iyd in Madina. During his reign, he was told that there were
infirm people in the town, who could not make it to the prayers at the early
time that he prayed. He then appointed
another imam to lead a second, later prayer, for these people.

Approved innovations
in acts of worship are derived not only from the swahabah, but from
pious Muslims of every age, and accepted, as long as these acts conform to the principles
of the shari’ah, and the prophetic intent. I have used examples from the swahabah
to show that this basis was approved from the very earliest days of Islam. For example, Imam ibn Qudamah (r.a.)
wrote. in his Mughni’, that Imam Ahmad (r.a.) said, that upon khatm
of the Qur’an in swalah at-tarawih, “If you finish reading Surah an-Naas,
then lift your hands up before making ruku’, and recite a du’a.”
When he was asked his source for this, he replied that Imam Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah
(r.a.), one of the great scholars of tabi’un, used to do it in
Makkah when he led swalah at-tarawih. So, we know that there is no specific dalil
to the Qur’an and ahadits, making this a bid’ah.

It is on this basis
that the ummah have the mawlid, the prayers of Laylat al-Qadr, Laylat
al-Bara’ah, Laylat al-Isra’ wa al-Mi’raj, the tahlil, the congregational
dzikr, and so many practices. Whilst
the manner in which they are done are not exactly as was performed in the time
of the Prophet (s.a.w.), or in some cases, not performed at all, that
does not necessarily make them proscribed.
The intent is the pleasure of Allah (s.w.t.), and the remembrance
of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and the performance of these acts of worship
are in accordance with the limits shari’ah.

The Prophet’s (s.a.w.)
father is ‘Abdullah and his mother is Aminah, a blessed lineage stemming from
Ibrahim (a.s.) and Isma’il (a.s.) through Adnan, the most honourable
member of the Kayzar family.

Adnan’s son, Ma’ad,
is said to be a contemporary of ‘Isa (a.s.). Both maternally and paternally, the Messenger
of Allah (s.a.w.) belonged to the purest family of Quraysh, a purity of
lineage confirmed by the Prophet (s.a.w.) himself in the following hadits:
“I was born from my mother and father without being marred by any of the evils
of the Period of Ignorance. From Adam to
my mother and father, every preceding member of lineage was conceived by none
other than religiously legal marriage, never from fornication.” This is found in Hafizh ibn Katsir’s (r.a.)
al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah.

Another name of the
Prophet (s.a.w.) is “Musthafa”, meaning one who is delicately chosen. Whenever there was a split of lineage, the
forefathers of the Blessed Prophet (s.a.w.) always succeeded from among
the better of the two. Since Adam (a.s.)
and Hawa, therefore, the Prophetic Light passed on through the purest of
mothers and fathers, from one generation to another.

It is thought to be
referenced in the Qur’an:

And put thy trust on the Exalted in Might, the Merciful ― Who Seeth
thee standing forth (in prayer), and thy movements among those who prostrate
themselves. (Surah ash-Shu’ara:211-219)

This ayat was
understood by a number of commentators, including ibn ‘Abbas (r.a.), as
a reference to the descent of the Blessed Prophet (s.a.w.) through his ancestors, all of whom were men of
utmost piety; that is until reaching him, the light of the Prophet (s.a.w.)
was transmitted only through those who
fell prostrate to Allah (s.w.t.). This was mentioned by Imam al-Qurthubi (r.a.),
and Imam al-Haytsami (r.a.).

As recorded by Imam
Muslim (r.a.), and Imam at-Tirmidzi (r.a.), the Prophet (s.a.w.)
confirmed his pure lineage through the
following: “Allah (s.w.t.) Chose Isma’il from among the sons of Ibrahim,
Banu Kinanah from among the descendants of Isma’il, Quraysh from among the sons
of Kinanah, the sons of Hashim from among Quraysh, and the sons of ‘Abd al-Muththalib
from among Hashim; and me from among the sons of ‘Abd al-Muththalib.”

Regarding the
well-known purity of genealogy of the Blessed Prophet (s.a.w.) and his eminent forefathers, the great scholar,
Imam ibn Khaldun said, “No other person than Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.)
has a well recorded lineage that is moreover blessed with uninterrupted purity
and nobility since Adam (a.s.). This is a special gift to His Beloved by the
Almighty.”

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

Shaykh Abu al-Hasan
‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad (r.a.) was better known as Shaykh ‘Ali
‘Izz ad-Din ibn al-Atsir al-Jazari. He
was an Arab or Kurdish historian and biographer who wrote in Arabic and he was
from the famous ibn al-Atsir family. Shaykh
ibn al-Atsir (r.a.) lived a scholarly life in Mosul. He often visited Baghdad and for a time,
travelled with Sultan Swalah ad-Din’s (r.a.) army in Syria. He later lived in Aleppo and Damascus. His chief work was a history of the world, al-Kamil
fi at-Tarikh, “The Complete History.”

Shaykh ibn al-Atsir
(r.a.) wrote, in al-Kamil, concerning Jesus (a.s.), “The
learned have differed concerning his death before his being raised up. Some say, ‘He was raised up and did not
die.’ Others say, ‘No, Allah Made him
die for three hours.’ Others say, ‘For
seven hours, then He Brought him back to life.’
And those who say this are expounding His Saying:

… ‘O Jesus! I will Take thee and Raise thee to Myself ….’
(Surah Ali ‘Imran:55)

And when the Jews
seized the person who had been Made to resemble him, they bound him and began
to lead him with a rope and say to him, ‘You were raising the dead. Can you not save yourself from this rope?’ And they were spitting in his face and
putting thorns on him; and they crucified him on the cross for six hours. Then Joseph the carpenter asked for him from
the governor who was over the Jews, whose name was Pilate and whose title was
Herod, and buried him in a grave which the aforementioned Joseph had prepared
for himself. Then Allah (s.w.t.)
Sent down the Messiah from Heaven to his mother, Mary (a.s.), when she was
weeping for him, and he said to her, ‘Verily Allah has Raised me to Himself and
nothing but good has befallen me.’ And
he gave her instructions, and she gathered the disciples to him and he sent
them through the earth as messengers from Allah and he ordered them to convey
from him the Message Allah (s.w.t.) had Commanded him.

Then Allah (s.w.t.)
Raised him to Himself and the disciples scattered where he commanded them. The Messiah’s (a.s.) Raising up was
three hundred and thirty-six years after Alexander’s conquest of Darius.”

It is important to
note that Shaykh ibn al-Atsir (r.a.) was only conveying what he had
gathered. We have historical evidence
that Pontius Pilate may have been the governor of Ideorum, what the Romans
called Judea. Herod Agrippa, the usurper
was a distinct person and an enemy of the prophets. Also, “Joseph the carpenter” here, refers to
Joseph of Arimathea, not Joseph, the supposed spouse of Mary (a.s.).

Tuesday, 5 December 2017

Kurt Vonnegut said, “Every
act of war, every act of violence celebrates Hammurabi and shows contempt for
Jesus Christ.” Hammurabi’s Code was the
essence of the “an eye for an eye” philosophy, whereas Jesus (a.s.) told
us to “turn the other cheek.”